Have you seen all those flowers? If you’ve been downtown lately, you might have noticed the activity in the former location of Brooklyn’s on Boulder, that popular Prohibition-era themed speakeasy with sultry vibes. Gone is the false-front haberdashery as the entry to the newest tea room in Colorado Springs overflows with colorful flowers. Toodles Tearoom is set to open soon — on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Its owners are eager to welcome guests into an elegant and brightly lit parlor of unhurried sophistication and charm.
The tea room is a family venture, co-owned by a mother daughter trio of Lisa Vaughn and daughters Claire Schroeder and Brooke Orist. This family is no stranger to building businesses from the ground up. Brooke Orist, founder of Sasquatch Cookies, turned a late-night cookie delivery service into a booming business that now has three locations across the Springs. With a longstanding tradition of tea parties, the family wanted to create a welcoming space for the community to create memories and celebrate milestones.
Schroeder says they chose downtown because they love the community. There are a handful of popular tea houses in Colorado Springs — but a traditional tea room in downtown Colorado Springs is entirely new despite having the city’s largest concentration of restaurants, breweries and distilleries. Because of that uniqueness, Toodles Tearoom was awarded a $7,500 Retail Incentive Grant from the Downtown Development Authority, an arm of the Downtown Partnership, as part of a program encouraging local entrepreneurship and aimed at diversifying the mix of businesses downtown.
Toodles Tearoom will take reservations for its 90-minute tea services, but visitors are also welcome to stop in to enjoy one of 33 tea blends or a la carte menu items, including tea sandwiches, soups and salads. Be sure to ask about the Wedding Blend, a caffeine-free rooibos rumored to have been served at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. For a sweet treat, try the brown sugar scone with handmade Devonshire cream and strawberries. Of course, Sasquatch cookies are on the menu too. So are tea mocktails, including Toodles’ signature mocktail, the Toodle-oo, with a blend of lemon and raspberry.
A small bou-tea-que offers tea-themed gifts such as tea towels, teacups and saucers, candles and tea party accessories.
Vaughn and her daughters hosted a grand opening on Oct. 8 with an Afternoon Tea experience. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates. Operating hours will be Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., closed Mondays.
You can find all the details at toodlestearoom.com.
